In various manufacturing processes, components undergoing manufacture are subjected to chemicals or other fluids contained within a process vessel. One such manufacturing process is that of integrated circuit manufacture, during which semiconductor substrate materials are exposed to process fluids such as water and chemicals contained within a vessel for a purpose such as cleaning, etching, passivation, rinsing etc. A substrate may be exposed to fluids multiple times, at various stages of IC manufacture.
Oftentimes fluid exposure is carried out with the substrate supported in a process vessel containing flowing or static process fluid(s). Manifolding is typically provided in the bottom, sidewalls, and/or top of process vessels, and process fluids are directed into the vessel via this manifolding.
A typical wet processing vessel may also be provided with a so-called “dump door”—an elongate door sealing an opening in the bottom of the vessel. The dump door remains in a closed position covering the opening when fluid is to be contained in the vessel, and is moved to an opened position to allow the fluid to exit the vessel via the opening. In many instances, opening the dump door results in rapid evacuation of the fluid from the vessel. Certain processes such as rinsing are enhanced by rapid draining, because the shear forces formed in the rapidly draining fluid shear droplets of rinse fluid from the substrate surfaces. Some commercially available dump doors are provided with manifolding through which process fluids may be delivered to the vessel.
It has been found that process vessels having a rectangular shape drain more quickly and more uniformly when provided with a dump door having a slightly oval shape. However, oval shaped dump doors are more difficult to seal than rectangular doors, due to manufacturing tolerance issues. It is thus desirable to provide a dump door having compliant features that allow for consistent sealing regardless of tolerance variations. It is also desirable to optionally provide the dump door with fluid manifolding, allowing process fluids to be delivered to the vessel via the manifolding in the dump door.